Missouri Gov. Mike Parson Continues to Drag His Feet On Pandemic Response As COVID-19 Spreads Across Missouri At An Alarming Rate

University of Missouri Battles 44% Positivity Rate, Rural Areas Now Hit Harder Than Urban Areas

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s abysmal handling of COVID-19 has resulted in rapid virus spread across the state – the University of Missouri is grappling with a 44% positivity rate, and the virus is no longer confined to urban areas. The New York Times recently ranked Missouri as one of seven states “where new cases are higher and staying high.”

Parson dangerously mishandled COVID-19 at every step. Parson failed to listen to workers, doctors, and local leaders begging for help, and he said students would just “get over it” when they went back to school – but it’s clear from the University of Missouri area’s alarming positivity rate that students suffer from COVID-19 and spread it around to countless others. Parson also refused to mandate masks in his state, bucking recommendations from the Trump administration’s White House Coronavirus Task Force.

Missouri’s response to COVID-19 has been such a disaster, Odessa’s editorial board suggested Parson’s failures on COVID-19 were even worse than Trump’s: “The lack of state leadership has managed to eclipse even the federal shortcomings.”

Unless Parson finally decides to step up and actually put in place policies to curb the spread of the virus, the COVID-19 pandemic in Missouri is likely to get even worse.

“From the beginning of the pandemic, Mike Parson has refused to take COVID-19 seriously, and this cavalier approach to COVID-19 is having catastrophic results,” said DGA Deputy Communications Director Christina Amestoy. “It’s clear from this absurdly high positivity rate in the University of Missouri area that students will not just ‘get over it’ as Parson suggested. Missourians need a leader like Nicole Galloway who takes public health seriously and fights to protect their families.”